


i barely know how true goodness feels

by gaymergirl



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: 90s au where everyone is happy and alive, F/F, Slow Burn, pricefield
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-05-20 14:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6011416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaymergirl/pseuds/gaymergirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's October in 1994 and Arcadia Bay is full of mixtapes, long nights, and flannel wearing gal pals.<br/>(A Gone Home inspired AU).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dealing with Roots

**Author's Note:**

> shout out to lauren and louiza for beta'ing!!!  
> this fic is inspired by gone home, but still au enough that you don't need to have played it to read this.

What surprises Max the most about seeing Chloe after five years isn’t that they’re best friends again, or that Chloe has blue hair and tattoos- it’s that she _likes_ it.

She doesn’t realize how much she likes it until lunch at school one day. She’s sitting on the grass with Chloe and Rachel Amber, who became Chloe’s best friend after Max moved. It’s sunny out, a perfect October afternoon. Justin and Trevor are skating nearby and Max is idly watching them when Chloe takes off her beanie and points to her head, complaining about how her roots are growing out.

Rachel suggests that Chloe could just go back to blonde, and then the two start arguing about it. Max stays silent, and smiles as she watches them go back and forth.

“What do you think, Max?” Rachel asks suddenly. “Do you think Chloe should let her roots grow out or should she keep it blue?”

“Oh, um,” Max begins, unsure how to respond. She’s always a little intimidated by how pretty Rachel is, with her soft looking pink lips and hazel eyes that shine with trouble. Her long golden hair is down today, and she’s wearing a tight black t-shirt that looks amazing on her.

Max glances over at Chloe, who’s striking in her own way: bright blue eyes with a different kind of softness to her face, something Max can’t describe. Her blue hair _fits_ her, and looking back, Max isn’t surprised that Chloe grew up to be punk and reckless and daring.

And if Max is being honest with herself, she loves every bit of it. 

“I think you should keep it blue,” Max says.

Chloe grins at her, which is enough to tell her that she said the right thing, before shooting Rachel a smug look.

“Looks like you’re outnumbered,” Chloe says smugly.

Rachel rolls her eyes. “Fine, but I am _not_ dyeing it for you this time. You’re on your own,” she says, sitting up straight and crossing her arms.

“You’ll help me dye it, right, Max?” Chloe looks at her pleadingly, bright blue eyes wide and hopeful, a look that Max has seen a million times before getting in trouble.

Max doesn’t have the heart to tell her no. “Sure.”

“Today after school sound good?”

“Chloe, you’re supposed to drive me to work today,” Rachel reminds her. Rachel works at the arcade where Max and Chloe used to play after school all the time. Max hasn't been there since her return to Arcadia Bay, but she imagines that the games are still the same and that the food is still too salty. Max also knows that Chloe used to work there too, until she got fired for violating some smoking policy. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll take you to work _first_ ,” Chloe says. “Then Max and I will have a fun time on our own.” She looks at Max, smiling.

“Can all of us even fit in your car?” Max asks, well aware that her truck doesn't have a back seat.

Chloe frowns. “Dunno, have we really never driven together before?”

Rachel shakes her head.

“Well, I guess we’ll find out,” Chloe says.

The warning bell rings from within the building. Rachel and Chloe stand up, brushing off grass from their jeans.

“Come on, Max,” Rachel says, pulling Max up to her feet and picking a strand of grass off Max’s shirt. “Let’s go to photography. Later, Chloe!” Rachel waves at Chloe, with one hand against Max’s shoulder.

Max is grateful to have Rachel in Jefferson’s class with her, they sit together at the table in the back. It would be Max’s favorite class, except her next class is English which is her only class with Chloe, who always finds a way to make the hour long period better.

“Isn’t he hot?” Rachel asks, leaning back in her chair.

“Uh, who?” Max asks, wondering what she missed.

“Jefferson, duh,” Rachel says, as if it should have been obvious.

“Oh, um, I haven’t really thought of him like that.”

Rachel hums in response. “Anyway,” she continues, reaching for her notebook from her backpack, even though Max knows that Rachel never takes notes, “is Chloe still trying to get you to go to that concert Thursday?”

“Yeah, I’d go, but I don’t think my parents would be too thrilled about me going all the way to Portland on a school night.” 

Rachel shakes her head. “You’re really going to let them stop you?”

 _I’m not like you,_ Max thinks miserably. _I’m not nearly as brave, or pretty, or talented…_

“Listen, Max,” Rachel says, interrupting her thoughts. “If the concert weren’t the same night as the Vortex Club party, I would totally be going. But I think you should go. Don’t you want to see Chloe in her zone?”

“That would be pretty cool,” Max admits, smiling at the thought of Chloe stage diving, or whatever it is that people actually do at concerts.

“Just think about it,” Rachel says.

***

Chloe's truck does end up fitting all three of them, leaving Max squished between Chloe and Rachel, the latter taking up her space.

“Sorry you’re stuck in the bitch seat, Max," Rachel says lightly, not sounding sorry at all. "But I do think it’s kind of fitting,” Rachel smirks.

“What do you mean by that?” Max asks, glancing at her.

“Nothing.” Rachel smiles, leaning against the car door.

Chloe starts the car, and her speakers are blaring, loud drums and guitar with female vocals.

“Really, Chloe? Bratmobile again?” Rachel yells.

“Shut up, it’s punk!” Chloe screams back, and Max does her best to restrain herself from covering her ears. It’s not as if she has much space to do it anyway with her left leg pressed against Chloe and Rachel invading her space on the right.

Even though she’s cramped between them and the music is too loud and not exactly her taste, Max finds that she’s actually really happy. Usually she takes the bus home after school, since her parents moved back, their new house is actually father from Blackwell than their old house; and Chloe's house is in the opposite direction. But now, she's with Chloe and Rachel who are laughing on both sides of her, and it’s nice. And Chloe eventually does turn the music down, just a tad.

When they drop Rachel off at the arcade, Max is so content she forgets that the front seat is available to her now and she doesn’t get out of the so called “bitch seat.”

She doesn’t even notice she’s still sitting in it till Chloe parks in her driveway and she has to unbuckle her seatbelt. Max fumbles as she unfastens in and quickly slides out of Chloe’s truck through the passenger door, wondering if Chloe noticed but didn’t say anything. She must have noticed, Max realizes, because their legs were touching the entire drive back.

***

Max loves Chloe’s room, loves looking at the graffiti covered walls, glowing with the Christmas lights she keeps plugged in year round. And Max always finds herself looking at all the posters of girls Chloe has decorated on her walls. Punk girls, like Chloe. Who are hot, like Chloe.

“So, how do we do this?” Max asks, holding the bottle of blue dye and inspecting it carefully in a vain attempt to distract herself from how attractive Chloe is. 

She looks at Chloe for an answer, but she’s lighting a joint. That makes Max smile in spite of it all. “Really? How are you supposed to help me if you’re high?”

“You’ll be fine,” Chloe says, blowing out a trail of smoke. “You’re free to take a hit, by the way.”

Part of Max is flattered Chloe offered- she hasn’t before. But getting high for the first time while putting chemicals on her best friend’s hair doesn’t sound like the best idea. “ _Please_. I am not going to be able to dye your hair if I’m stoned. Maybe some other time.”

Chloe smiles and says, “You’ll need some latex.”

“What?” Max asks, taken aback.

“Gloves, Max.” Chloe says, smirking. Max is pretty sure Chloe knows that her mind went a hundred miles in the wrong direction. “Unless you want to stain your hands blue.”

Max smiles and shakes her head. “I think I’ll pass.”

Once they’re in Chloe’s bathroom, and Max’s gloves are lathered with the blue mixture, she starts applying the dye. With Chloe seated in front of her and her hands buried in Chloe’s hair, Max finds herself thinking that this moment is weirdly intimate.

Maybe it’s because this is the longest amount of time they’ve spent with just the two of them since Max came back. Usually they’re at school or Rachel is with them. Max had never minded; she likes being Rachel’s friend. She likes studying with her and Chloe at the Two Whales- eating as many pancakes as possible.

But now, just being alone with Chloe feels right.

And Chloe seems content too, or maybe it’s just the high. Max continues to coat Chloe’s roots, the process taking a lot longer than she expected, but she finally does get used to the chemical smell of the dye.

“So, you like the blue, huh?” Chloe asks, slowly.

“Yeah,” Max answers, running her hands over Chloe’s scalp, wishing she could run her hands through her hair all the time, without the gloves or the dye. “I’ve always liked your hair, I was pretty surprised to see it short. But it looks good.”

Chloe hums.

“Rachel looks better blonde than I ever could,” Chloe admits.

Max is unsure what to say to that. Rachel certainly does have a way of pulling off almost every look imaginable, but she always thought Chloe had something else to her.  

“Yeah, well, I think you pull off the punk rock look better than anyone.”

“Really?” Chloe asks, and Max glances at her through the mirror- Chloe’s smiling.

Max looks back down at Chloe’s roots and her blue stained gloves. “I’m serious, it’s hot.”

“You think so?” 

“Yeah I do,” Max answers softly. “Okay, I think I’ve done enough. How long do you leave the dye on?”

Chloe stands up and sits herself down on the counter of the sink. “About half an hour.”

“And then what?”

“Then I have to rinse it out in the shower, unless you want to help.”

Max doesn’t need to look in the mirror to see how red her face looks.

***

Max waits in Chloe’s room as Chloe showers, and she can’t resist looking around. Her room is messy- which is no surprise. Even as a kid, Chloe had a hard time keeping her room organized. There’s a box on the floor with some tapes, and Max searches through it, heart missing a beat when she finds one labeled “Pirate Power.” Max didn’t know Chloe kept anything of hers all this time.

The sound of the water running in the shower stops, and a few minutes later Max hears the hair dryer turn on. Max sits on Chloe’s bed patiently, waiting for Chloe to let her know when to come back to bathroom.

It doesn’t take long for Chloe to yell, “Max! Get your ass over here!”

Max stands up a little too fast, and walks across the hall quickly, both anxious and excited to see how Chloe’s roots look. The door to the bathroom is open, and Max watches Chloe check herself out in the mirror. Max walks up behind her, waiting for Chloe to say something, either about how good or bad her roots look. (In Max’s opinion, they look fine, but she’s no hair expert).  

Instead, Chloe looks at her through the mirror, and says, “Wow Max, you’re so pretty.”

Max’s lips part, and she wants to say something nice back, or say thank you, but she finds she has no words to speak. So she just stands there, staring up at Chloe’s reflection.

Chloe turns to face her, and because the bathroom’s so small, there’s hardly any space between them. Chloe’s grinning at her now, as if she knows how fast Max’s heart is beating, how sweaty her hands are, how badly she wants to close the gap between them.

Max doesn't notice that Chloe has started to lean in closer to her until Chloe jumps back suddenly- startled when she hears David start yelling and the front door slam shut. Instantly the moment is over- and Max regrets not saying anything when she had the chance.

 “Shit,” Chloe says, her grin gone, her eyes wide and panicked. “He’s probably not too happy about me cutting class so I could spray paint the parking lot.”

“Again?” Max asks, not totally surprised. 

Chloe smiles for a brief second, but it fades when the sound of David’s yelling gets louder as he marches up the stairs.

“You gotta hide in my room, okay? He’s not gonna be happy that you’re here.”

“Right,” Max nods. “Got it.”

Max tries to quietly dash across the hallway, carefully closing the door to Chloe’s room as she searches for a place to hide.

She can hear the muffled sounds of David and Chloe arguing, and when Max opens the door to Chloe’s closet too quickly, Chloe’s lamp falls over- knocking over a ton of her shit off her shelves in the process. David and Chloe both go silent, and Max holds her breath.

“Did you bring another guy into this house?” David yells.

“What?” Chloe asks, confused. “No, it’s just Max-”

“Max?” David roars, swinging Chloe’s door open.

Max makes eye contact with David, and it’s weird to see the head of Blackwell Security in Chloe’s house, let alone in her bedroom. His face is flushed with anger, eyes narrow and distrusting.

She glances at Chloe, who’s standing behind David. She looks scared for once, and that scares Max way more than being caught. She knows she has to say something.  

“Max is short for Maxine,” she explains.

Seeing that Max is a girl, David seems to calm down a bit. Chloe walks past him so she can stand next to Max.

“Sorry,” David says awkwardly. “I thought you were some- some guy Chloe was seeing.”

“So what if I _was_ seeing Max? It’s none of your fucking business, David.” Chloe says, crossing her arms.

“Don’t start with me, Chloe,” David warns.

Chloe wants to fight back, Max can tell. Hell, part of her wants to see that happen, but she doesn’t want Chloe to get into any more trouble. She gently touches Chloe’s arm.

“I think you should take me home,” Max says.

“I think Max is right,” David says, voice stern, glaring at both of them.

“Fine,” Chloe snaps. “She was just helping me dye my hair, is having friends a crime now too, David?”

David doesn’t have a response aside from incoherent mutterings.

“Come on,” Max says, pulling her out of her room.

***

“I’m so sorry, dude,” Chloe says later, once they’re both in her truck.

“It’s okay, Chloe,” Max says as gently as she can. “What did David mean about bringing another guy into the house?” Ever since David said it, the implications have been jabbing at her. Joyce had alluded to Chloe having a bad boy phase, but Chloe had never mentioned anything about it, so Max had always wondered what really happened. David bringing it up makes it real again.

Max looks over at Chloe, who’s suddenly intensely focused on driving.

“I had this guy come over last year when I thought we’d be home alone and David caught us,” Chloe admits, brows furrowed, eyes on the road.

“Was he your boyfriend?” Max tries to picture it but it’s hard, considering Chloe had never said anything about her dating history till now.

Chloe laughs roughly.

“Trust me, Max, he wasn’t my boyfriend. He was a jerk so I called it off.”

“Oh,” Max says, determined to stare out the window for the rest of the drive.

“Please dude, don’t judge me, I am so over boys.”

“Yeah?” Max asks, swallowing.

“Total waste of time. What about you, Max? You never told me if you had a boyfriend back in Seattle.”

Max smiles to herself and glances over at Chloe.

“No way. I barely even had any friends there.”

“Except Kate,” Chloe says bluntly. Max looks down at her lap. Chloe was hurt when she found out Max calls Kate Marsh on a regular basis, and that they write each other letters on occasion. Max still can’t apologize enough for never calling Chloe when she moved five years ago.

“Except Kate,” Max repeats, solemn.

“Well, you’ve obviously got Blackwell guys interested in you.” Chloe points out, voice still bitter.

“What? Like who?”

“Warren, to name one.”

Max groans, and looks at Chloe. “Come on, Warren is _so_ not my type.”

“Then what is your type?” Chloe asks, eyes flickering to meet hers briefly.

“Skaters,” Max says automatically. _Especially the tall, annoyingly hot ones, with butterfly colored hair and tattoos,_ she thinks.  _Who keep silly old tapes with pirate songs in their bedrooms._

Chloe is grinning now, almost knowingly. “Please don’t tell me you’re into Justin or Trevor-”

It’s Max’s turn to laugh, interrupting her.

“Don’t worry, Chloe, I’m not. I swear.”

 


	2. It's Different Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been months since this fic updated so i would recommend rereading the first chapter before reading this one. and content warning for abuse- it's nothing heavier than what's in the game but it's good to be safe.  
> (also shout out to adu for helping me revise!)

Max wakes up to the sound of faint tapping on her window. She isn't sure what time it is, but it's still dark outside. She tries shrugging it off, assuming that the noise is hail, but the taps get louder and start to form a rhythm. 

“Chloe?” Max asks, voice raspy, rubbing her eyes and clumsily turning on the lamp on her nightstand.

“Max! Let me in! It’s freezing out here!” Chloe says, trying to whisper but failing at her attempt.

Max shakes her head in disbelief, but she smiles anyway as she walks to her window, hastily opening it. 

“What are you doing out here?” Max asks, leaning on her windowsill, smiling down at Chloe who’s crouched down on her roof. The moon is out, and it's shining on Chloe, even though she's barely visible underneath it. A gust of cool air brushes against Max but she stays still, amazed that Chloe is here right now. It’s not the first time Chloe has come over to sneak in through Max’s window late at night, but this is the first time it’s happened without Rachel-  _and_  on a school night. Usually Rachel and Chloe only stay in her room long enough to convince her to sneak out with them, but tonight is different, Max can tell.

“Well, are you coming in or not?” Max asks, leaning on her elbow.

Chloe stands up, huffing as she climbs over Max’s windowsill, stepping past Max into her room. There’s something off, Max knows because Chloe is silent, standing with her back facing Max. 

“Chloe, is everything okay?”

Chloe doesn’t answer, so Max walks around her, trying to see her in the dim light. The right side of Chloe’s face is bruised, and there's dried blood on her bottom lip. Chloe isn’t looking at her, and Max is at a loss for words, tight with shock.

“Did David hit you?” Max finally musters, even though she knows that must be the case. She knew Chloe never liked David, and she always understood that, but she had no idea it was this bad.

Chloe takes her time to nod in response, staring at Max’s floor.

Max frowns and bites her lip. She walks over to her desk to find a tissue, and gingerly dabs at Chloe’s lip with it.

“A kiss to make it better?” Chloe asks, still avoiding looking at Max.

Max stills her hand, just for a second, so she can try to meet Chloe’s eyes- blue and wet with a little of that usual Chloe spark. She then continues to clean Chloe’s face without acknowledging her question. Part of her is glad Chloe’s is in the mood to joke around, even if part of it doesn’t feel like a joke. But it feels wrong to think about actually kissing her right now, Max never knew she could be this angry. She takes a deep breath and then throws away the tissue.

“This isn’t the first time, is it?” Max asks, concerned. 

“It’ll be the last,” Chloe's voice shakes as she speaks, and she takes a seat on the corner of Max’s bed.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Max sits down next to her, unsure of how much space to leave between them.

Chloe sighs, shaking her head and rolling her eyes, which Max knows is what Chloe does to keep herself from crying. “He started going off about how  _disrespectful_ I am and how I only care about myself. And he thinks that maybe sending me off to the army would actually teach me some discipline,” Chloe pauses, looking down at her hands. “Fuck that. I’d run away before I’d let that happen.”

_Oh,_ Max thinks. She can imagine it: waking up one day to find that Chloe’s left Arcadia Bay without her. She knows it's pretty selfish, considering she did that to Chloe five years earlier. And Chloe still hasn't had a chance to leave, even though she's always wanted to. 

“It’s just,” Chloe continues, glancing at Max teary eyed, “everything was going so great you know? I mean, just a couple hours ago you were at my place dyeing my hair and now-” Chloe’s voice breaks, and she looks down at her hands again.

Max puts her hand on top of Chloe's. “I know, Chloe,” she says, as softly as she can. “I hate that you have to live with that asshole. Do you wanna stay with me tonight?”

“That’d be awesome. You’re the best, Max.”

Chloe leans over and pulls her in for a hug, and Max notices that she smells like smoke and dirt and night air. Max can’t remember the last time they actually hugged, but all she knows is that she doesn’t want to let go. Not when being this close feels so right, with Chloe’s body against hers, and the feeling of her hands resting on Chloe's back. It feels warm. 

And Chloe seems to notice that Max is more affectionate than usual, because she pulls away with a shy smile. “Sorry for waking you up. I know it’s late,” she says.

“It’s okay, Chloe. I don’t mind. I’m glad you’re here.” Max smiles back at her. “Can you believe this is our first sleepover at my place since I came back?”

Chloe laughs. “It’s about time. I should just come here every night.” Chloe stands up while taking off her flannel, putting it on Max’s chair, leaving her in a white tank top. Chloe then proceeds to take off her jeans, revealing her black underwear.

Max looks away and crawls under her sheets. “Maybe you should,” Max suggests.

“Then you’d have time to show me all your photos,” Chloe says, sliding into bed next to her. “Your parents let you have the attic all to yourself, right?”

“Yeah,” Max answers, excited that Chloe actually remembered. “It’s still a work in progress, but it is pretty cool having my own dark room.”

"I bet it looks great," Chloe says.

They don’t speak for a few minutes, and Max embraces how easy it is to just  _be_ with Chloe. It's one of the things that hasn't changed between them. 

“Did you miss me?” Chloe whispers.

Max doesn't need to ask to know that Chloe is referring to when she lived in Seattle. They haven't been able to talk about it much without things getting a little heated. Until now. Max rolls over so she’s facing Chloe, admiring the softness in her face so close to her.

“Of course I did, I felt awful about everything that happened. I don’t have any excuses. I didn’t know if you even wanted to be my friend when I came back.”

“I didn’t know either,” Chloe admits, and the words jab at Max, even though she knows she deserves to hear them. “I mean, you just left, Max. I needed you. I missed you.”

“I’m here now,” Max says. “I’m not going anywhere, Chloe.” She means it, and she hopes that Chloe knows that. 

Chloe rolls over, mirroring Max. She smiles a sad smile, and reaches over with her left hand to rub Max’s arm gently, as if making sure she is here with her. Max doesn’t say anything, trying to relax as she begins to drift asleep, with Chloe's hand resting on her arm.

***

When Max wakes up, the first thing she's aware of is that she's alone. Her lamp is still on, and her window is open, appearing to be the only signs that Chloe was in her room at all. Max looks at the empty space in her bed, surprised that Chloe woke up before her and left without letting her know.

Then Max notices that the blue and green flannel Chloe was wearing last night is still hung over her chair. Max gets out of bed to hold it, and she presses it against her face, inhaling deeply. It smells just like Chloe: smoky and earthy and Max starts to feel dizzy- in the good way. She stands there for a few minutes, basking in the morning light, reminded of how nice Chloe smells. She folds the flannel and sets it down on the chair before she leaves to take a shower.

After her shower, she puts on one of her favorite graphic t-shirts, which has the words "I don't believe in humans" printed over a cartoon alien. Then, after a few seconds of contemplating, she wears Chloe’s flannel over it. Max takes the time to looks at herself in the mirror. The flannel is too big but it’s comfy and soft- like Chloe. Max reaches for her camera to take a picture of herself, and she places her camera in her bag and heads for the bus. 

It's on the bus that Max starts writing a letter to Kate, listening to her Walkman.  _I know I'm going to tell you this over the phone soon_ , she writes.  _But yesterday I went over to Chloe's and dyed her roots blue for her. Is it weird to say that it felt intimate? I was just touched that she asked me to do it, Rachel would have been surer of what to do._ Max pauses, staring at the words she's written and cringes as the bus hits a bump, her pen dragging a line across the page.  _Well,_ Max thinks.  _So much for that._ It's good timing, though. The last track stopped playing and she has to flip her tape over anyway. She tears the paper out of her journal and stuffs it in her bag, chewing on her pen, hoping to catch Chloe before her first class starts.

Max isn't sure if it's because of the flannel she's wearing or if it's because she's in a good mood, but today she dodges Warren with confidence. And she avoids walking near Victoria and her friends, still enjoying the tape playing in her Walkman. She skims the grounds at the front of campus but there's no sign of Chloe, so she quickly walks into the main building, heading towards the hallway where Chloe and Rachel's lockers are.

It's in the hallway that Max finds Rachel digging through her locker, disappointed that Chloe isn’t there with her. And it only takes three seconds for her confidence to shrink away.

Rachel is wearing a low cut navy blue shirt and shorts that look extra short, making Max feel overdressed in her loose jeans and Chloe's baggy flannel. Rachel hasn't acknowledged her yet, chewing bubblegum as she searches for something in her locker, which is cluttered with paper and books, and decorated with grungy cutouts from magazines. 

“Hey, Rachel,” Max says shyly.

“Hey,” Rachel replies, turning to glance at her, hand still shuffling around in her locker. Then she stills her arm and raises her eyebrows. “Is that Chloe’s shirt?” Rachel asks.

It's an innocent question, but Max fumbles with the strap of her bag as she answers, "Yeah." Embarrassed that it took Rachel five seconds to realize the shirt is Chloe's, Max adds, "Chloe left it at my house this morning." 

“Chloe was at your house? Did she spend the night?” Rachel asks, eyes wide, leaning in closer to Max. Even though they’re the same height, she has a way of making Max feel small.

“Yeah,” Max answers. Rachel's glossy lips part, prompting Max to ask, “What?”

Rachel is full out beaming now.

“Oh, I’m sure it’s nothing.” Rachel turns and gestures to Zachary and Juliet, who are making out near the lockers across from them. When Max sees that Juliet is wearing Zachary’s Blackwell letterman jacket: it clicks.

“Rachel, nothing like that is going on," Max insists. Max opens her mouth to speak again but closes it when she notices that Chloe’s just entered the hallway. She looks a little roughened up, but she looks a lot better than she did last night. As soon as she spots Max, Chloe's eyes light up and she starts smiling, eagerly walking towards them.

“Save it, Caulfield. You two are  _so_  busted,” Rachel says, smirking. She slams her locker shut, and stuffs a worn-out looking textbook into her backpack. “I have to get going, but I’ll see you guys at lunch, okay?” Rachel gives Chloe a small wave before leaving the hallway, swaying her hips. 

“What was that about?” Chloe asks, stopping at her locker.

Max only shrugs in response, certain that if she lies Chloe will know. Chloe looks at her, eyes searching, trying to figure her out anyway. Max braces herself, but Chloe just starts grinning instead.

“You’re wearing my flannel,” Chloe points out, reaching over to touch Max’s right sleeve.

“Yeah, you left it in my room,” Max replies.

Chloe is still looking at her, speechless, and Max can’t tell if she’s weirded out or not.

“Is it okay that I’m wearing it?” Max asks, worried that maybe she made a mistake, that maybe Chloe wouldn't be okay with it. 

“Yeah,” Chloe says, nodding emphatically, “it looks amazing on you, you should keep it.”

Max wants to tell her that she doesn’t want to keep it- because then it wouldn’t smell like her anymore. That she likes wearing something that's  _hers_. Before she has the chance to come up with anything less creepy, Chloe starts talking again.

“Anyway, I made this for you,” Chloe says, pulling out a tape from her backpack and handing it to her.

“You made me a mixtape?” Max asks, gripping it firmly, holding it close to her face. It has "Riot Grrrls" scribbled in Chloe’s writing on it, and it’s perfect. Max thinks she could look at it all day without even listening to it, feeling giddy because Chloe made it for  _her_. “Thank you, Chloe, this is so sweet."

Max looks up and sees that Chloe's cheeks are slightly tinted pink. 

“I started working on it a few days ago, but it was really cool of you to let me stay over last night, so I thought it’d be a nice way of saying thanks,” Chloe says, smiling sheepishly. “Thanks again, for letting me crash at your place,” Chloe speaks quietly, as if she’s afraid someone will overhear.

“Of course,” Max says, taking a step forward to hug her. Chloe stiffens up at first, surprised by the contact, but after five seconds she pulls Max closer.

“You really are the best,” Chloe whispers into her ear.

“Yeah,” Max agrees, chuckling. “I know.”

Max slowly pulls back and then leans up slightly, intending to kiss Chloe’s cheek, but ends up kissing the right corner of her lip instead. Startled by her mistake, Max jolts back. Chloe stands still, hand touching her lip, staring at Max with a look that's both pure shock and disbelief. Max wants to say something, but her mouth is dry. She is able to get a mumbled, “I,” out, but then she spots David entering the hallway.

David gives her and Chloe a stern look, and Max glares back. Instead of talking to them, he starts yelling at Zachary and Juliet for their indecent public displays of affection. Zachary yells back, and Juliet begins to sulk. Chloe turns to face her locker, distracting herself by rearranging unread books until David leaves, with Zachary and Juliet following him.

“You okay?” Max asks tentatively, worried about how tense it must have been between Chloe and David earlier this morning. 

“I’m fine,” Chloe says, frowning as she closes her locker. “But damn, what a mood killer- a few more seconds and you would have been all over me,” Chloe says it so confidently that Max finds herself breathless. 

“Yeah, you wish,” Max says, crossing her arms and wishing she wasn’t so easy to read.

Chloe grins at her. “We still have a few minutes before class starts,” she says with feigned innocence, tilting her head slightly. “And now that Zachary and Juliet are gone, it’s just the two us.”

Max can’t tell what it is exactly that Chloe is implying. She wants to ask, but it’s  _Chloe- s_ he’s always sarcastic and witty and Max doesn’t want to be wrong about this, not when she and Chloe are finally close again. But still, she can't resist glancing at Chloe’s lips longingly, before glancing up to meet her eyes.

“Chloe I-”

“You should get going, actually. I don’t want you to be late to class because of me,” Chloe says, shuffling on her feet.

“But-”

“I’ll see you at lunch?” Chloe asks, offering Max a nervous smile.

Max smiles back tightly. “Yeah,” she replies. “See you.”

***

It’s cloudy and cool outside, but that doesn’t stop Chloe from skateboarding during lunch, gliding on the sidewalk seamlessly. Chloe’s a better skater than Justin and Trevor, and even Rachel, who hasn’t been skating recently. Part of Max is a little disappointed, she wanted to apologize for how weird things got this morning; but at the same time, she's in awe as she watches Chloe do a noseslide without landing on her ass. Ever since they were kids, skateboarding was always something Chloe was  _good_ at. Even though Max was prone to falling and scraping her knees, she didn’t mind watching Chloe skate down the street, every time it was soothing for her to watch.

And Max doesn’t mind now. She likes sitting next to Rachel and watching as Chloe skates better than any of the guys out there-she meant it when she said skaters were her type. Not wanting to be obvious by taking a picture, Max tries to memorize every detail of this moment so she can write about it in her next letter to Kate.  _I can apologize to Chloe later,_ she reasons with herself.

It’s only when Rachel stops talking that Max realizes Rachel has been talking to her at all.

“I’m sorry, Rachel. Can you repeat that last part again?” Max asks, turning to face her.

“You didn’t listen to a word I said,” Rachel sighs, shaking her head.

“Sorry,” Max says, wincing because she knows she doesn’t sound apologetic.

Rachel starts laughing, it’s a nice chiming sound. Max just stares at her, starting to feel self-conscious. Rachel looks towards Chloe’s direction, and Max’s eyes follow. Chloe is fist bumping Justin, and when she notices Max looking she waves at her. Max waves back before quickly glancing back at Rachel, who’s half-smiling, half-smirking at her.

“I heard about this morning,” Rachel confesses, looking at Max curiously.

“Chloe told you about that?” Max asks, horrified, leaving her mouth hanging open.

“Duh.” Rachel stops smiling. “But I heard it from Dana first, who heard it from Juliet, who claims that you and Chloe got in trouble with Madsen for all the lip-locking too.”

“Oh my God,” Max says, covering her hands with her face, wishing she could crawl away as Rachel explains that it's really not a big deal. Rachel says that Juliet has a big mouth and most people don't believe her gossip anyway. 

“How’s Chloe handling all this?” Max asks, scared that Chloe's avoiding her now. 

“I think that’s something you need to ask her yourself.”

“It’s not that easy, Rachel,” Max says, trying to fathom how she’s getting into this conversation about Chloe (who’s  _right there_ ) with Rachel Amber of all people. It took everything she had just to tell Kate that she may or may not have a crush on her childhood best friend. 

“Look, Max,” Rachel begins, flickering her eyes towards Chloe momentarily. “Chloe missed you. A lot. Five years is a long time, and it’s super great that you’re friends again- but you need to be honest with her,” she pauses to stare at Max with her hazel eyes. “Do you get what I’m saying?”

Max stays silent for a moment, gawking at Rachel. “I think so,” Max says, biting her lip.

Rachel gives her a sincere smile. Max turns her attention to Chloe, who's back at skating. That makes Rachel laugh some more.

“Go on, nerd, take a picture while you can! She’s only skating today because  _someone_ told her she was into skaters.”

“Right,” Max says, sliding off the bench and pulling her camera out, slowly walking to where Chloe is.

Chloe glances at her and flashes her a grin before she kick turns and skates towards Max’s direction, bending down to gain speed. Max smiles as she looks through the lens of her camera and it’s perfect- there’s a contrast between the dark gray sky and the vibrant blue of Chloe’s hair. She takes the picture at exactly the right time, if she waited any longer Chloe would have already skated past her. 

Content with her work and waiting for the image to load, Max walks back to Rachel, eager to show her how great the picture turned out. She waves the picture at Rachel, which gets her to laugh and quickly, Max takes a picture of Rachel- capturing her summery laughter. And then suddenly Chloe isn't skating, she's right behind Max, head poking over her right shoulder. 

“Can I see?” Chloe asks. Her breath is warm against Max's neck, and it kind of tickles.

“Hold on,” Max laughs, showing her the developing Polaroid. “It’s not finished yet.”

“Let’s get one with all of us,” Rachel says, scooting down the bench to make more room.

They all sit down on the bench, with Chloe in the middle. Max gives Chloe her camera and she and Rachel lean in for the picture. While they wait for the image to develop, Chloe and Rachel start sarcastically arguing over something that Max loses track of. Trevor falls off his board and that gets Chloe and Rachel to start howling. Max laughs a little, but she’s distracted by how close Chloe is sitting next to her. Max stares at the finished Polaroids, trying to focus on anything that's not the feeling of Chloe's arm touching hers. 

"Wow, Max, these are really good," Chloe says admiringly, leaning over to look at the pictures. 

"Thanks," Max says.

"Seriously, Max," Rachel agrees. "You have a gift."

"Well, Chloe took one of these too," Max says, even though Rachel doesn't seem to hear because she's asking Chloe if she can borrow her skateboard. 

Chloe says yes, and Rachel takes off, which makes Max extremely aware that now it's just her and Chloe. Alone. Max returns her attention to the Polaroids, unsure of what to say, and the silence isn't as comfortable as it was last night. 

"Things are different now, huh." Chloe says.

"You mean since we were kids?" Max asks.

"Since this morning," Chloe clarifies. "But that too."

"I don't think different is a bad thing," Max admits.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, actually I really like different. And not everything's changed." Max looks away from the Polaroids. “I want to go to the concert with you Thursday,” she says, surprised at her openness. "If that's cool with you," she adds. She hasn’t even talked to her parents about it, but her concern disappears once Chloe starts to grin.

“Of course that's cool! So that’s a yes?” Chloe asks, eyes shining.

“Yeah,” Max confirms, smiling. “It is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry about how long it's taken me to update, but i hope you enjoyed reading this! there's definitely more on the way! feel free to hit me up on tumblr @moonriselesbian i love talking about max and chloe

**Author's Note:**

> ahhhhhhh idk what to say really, but thank you for reading!  
> (the flannel is coming later i swear)  
> please feel free to talk to me about max and chloe on tumblr, i'm @moonriselesbian on there


End file.
